Immokalee Cattle Drive Goes Off Without a Hitch

Local cowboys and their Florida Cracker Cur dogs drove a very cooperative herd of around 80 cattle down Main Street in Immokalee on a beautifully chilly spring morning Saturday. The dogs continuously circled the herd, keeping them tight, as they passed within feet of the men, women and children of Immokalee, who loved every minute.

The Cattle Drive is part of the Immokalee Cattle Drive and Jamboree, held annually at Robert’s Ranch.

Preston Stokes encourages two of his Florida Cur dogs, who he said are half-brothers.

 “I’m just helpin’ ‘em drive the cattle down,” Stokes said. "I day work for some of these ranches. I’ve helped the Roberts family, I’ve helped the Hilliard Brothers, the Alicos, some of these places. They’re some of the bigger ranches around in the South Division down here. Today was very good. We had good weather and a lot of great people, great horses, great dogs. Just blessed to be able to do what we love."

Sometimes the cattle get a little unruly and the Florida Cracker Cur dogs have to take action.

 “We said a prayer this morning and the good Lord was with us,” Stokes said. "He kept the cattle together and behaved them good. And the dogs did good. And we’ve got really good help around here.”

The Florida Cracker Cur dog was introduced to Florida in 1539 by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. They are known as loyal, dependable companions to the Florida ranchers.

"They’re just a Florida Cur dog that we’ve come up with,” Stokes said. "They’re bred specifically for the cows. What you do is, say I’ve got a good dog, and Buck Henry has a good dog, we breed ‘em. Then we take the puppies with the older dogs and they show ‘em the route and what to do. And it goes on from there. It’s just something that they’re bred to do. I’ve had some of these dogs for 15-20 years. The bloodline just keeps going. Hopefully, I can pass it down to my kids in the future."

The Cur dogs are a big part of cattle ranching. Sometimes the dogs have the cattle so well managed that they make their jobs look easy.

 “Like here we didn’t have to use ‘em a whole lot,” Stokes said. "Just in the morning to settle the cattle. In the woods, when you’re in some rough places, they bunch ‘em and hold ‘em up for you. They locate ‘em for you and get to barking and going around ‘em. Most of the cattle that are dog broke will come together and stay in a bunch for ‘em. If they ever get in a fast run or a trot the dogs know to shut it down, because it’s fixing to get Western most of the time. So, they kind of shut it down before it gets really bad. The dogs are a big part of all of this.”

The popular Cattle Drive and Jamboree has been sidelined for two years. Collier County Museums Director, Amanda Townsend, was thrilled to have the event back for 2022.

“Of course, the pandemic canceled our 2020 drive just a day before the event,” Amanda Townsend said. "We were devastated. And in 2021 it still wasn’t time yet. We’re so happy to bring this back to the community. It’s just a fun celebration of the heritage of Immokalee. That includes, of course, our cattle industry but also the Seminoles and their presence here. Billie Walker just did his alligator wrestling demonstration. The dancing horses will be here soon. That’s a wonderful Hispanic heritage and tradition. We really like celebrating the multiculturalism of this community and bringing it all together.”

Of course, without the legendary Roberts family, the event would not be possible.

“Roberts Ranch was the homestead of the Roberts family,” Townsend said. "Robert and Sarah Roberts moved here with their nine children in the early 1900s and their Red Cattle Company became one of the largest cattle operations in all of Southwest Florida. The Roberts family donated the home and some of the acreage to the Collier County Museums in the 1990s. We purchased another piece of property next door to have this entire 13 acres, which is on the National Register and also designated locally as historically significant."